UN Food Agency Says Over $138Mln Needed To Help Horn Of Africa Farmers Hit By Drought

Sumaira FH Published January 17, 2022 | 08:52 PM

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said on Monday that over $138 million is urgently needed to help sustain the agricultural sector in the Horn of Africa region to avoid a large-scale hunger crisis due to severe drought

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2022) The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said on Monday that over $138 million is urgently needed to help sustain the agricultural sector in the Horn of Africa region to avoid a large-scale hunger crisis due to severe drought.

"FAO's Horn of Africa Drought Response Plan calls for over $138 million to help rural communities withstand this latest threat - with $130 million of that total urgently needed by the end of February to provide time-critical assistance to highly vulnerable, agriculture-reliant communities in the three most impacted countries," the agency said in a statement.

The funds will help about 1.5 million vulnerable people in rural communities in the Horn of Africa to obtain water, seed, animal feed, veterinary care, and cash to avert a hunger catastrophe, FAO said.

In Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, the three worst affected countries, about 25.

3 million people will face acute food insecurity by mid-2022 if no solution is provided due to the extended drought, several locust invasions and COVID-19 restrictions, according to the report.

"If fully funded, the agency's plan would allow for the production of up to 90 million litres of milk and up to 40,000 tonnes of staple food crops in the first part of 2022, putting over 1 million highly food insecure people on a safe footing for at least six months," the agency noted.

Three consecutive rainless periods have affected Somalia and Kenya the most, causing a drought that is expected to last well into 2022. In 2021, the European Union provided $199 million in aid to the Horn of Africa, allocating a total of $20.3 million to Kenya, $72.3 million to Somalia, and $96.6 million to Ethiopia. In December, the EU assigned an additional $24.3 million to the region.